THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday demanded a probe into whether former special government pleader KB Pradeep had accessed any sensitive documents related to the Sabarimala gold theft case during his brief tenure, asserting that his resignation alone does not resolve the issue.
Making serious allegations regarding the appointment of KB Pradeep, former counsel for Smart Creations in the Sabarimala gold theft case, as special government pleader for the Devaswom Department, Pinarayi criticised the appointment as being made in haste.
"Even though he has resigned, the issue does not end here. Clarity should be brought as to which all critical documents he had access to during the few hours he was in charge. If he had any such access, it should be probed into and action taken," he said at a press conference at the CPM headquarters here.
Refuting media reports that former Travancore Devaswom Board president A Padmakumar had alleged he was deliberately summoned to Thiruvananthapuram during the Sabarimala women's entry issue to meet a senior official from the Chief Minister's Office, Pinarayi said his office at the time had no reason to remove him from Sabarimala.
Raising sharp criticism of CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam's remark about "idols coming up in the government", Pinarayi said the CPI leader should first examine such practices within his own party.
"Idol figures coming up is a very important issue and should be investigated. Every party that aligned with us has the responsibility to do that too. But (Binoy) should first check if such idols had appeared in the departments where his party members led," he said while responding to media queries.
While refraining from taking a clear position on who would become the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Pinarayi said there was no issue on that front.
Reiterating the party's criticism of what it considers a soft approach towards SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan, Pinarayi maintained that his car journey with the community leader had not been viewed by the party as a wrong decision.
"Some remarks that (Vellappally) made were seen as anti-Muslim statements by Kerala society, against which the party made its own response. But a common internal criticism surfaced that the response was not befitting the gravity of the issue, which we will incorporate in spirit," he said.
Accusing the UDF of failing to resist alleged saffronisation attempts in the state's universities, Pinarayi said the front was moving towards "complete surrender" before the RSS in the higher education sector.
He also questioned why the Congress and its allies, including the Muslim League, were reluctant to criticise saffron organisations.
In an indirect reference to the appointment of formerly suspended IAS officer B Ashok, he said: "The officer who wrote a note in favour of the Governor in light of the University Amendment Bill brought in by the state to oppose these saffronisation attempts was selected by the UDF and appointed as the topmost officer of the Higher Education Department."
Calling the participation of three vice chancellors from state universities in an RSS programme attended by RSS Sarsanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat a clear example of the Sangh Parivar's attempts to control higher education in Kerala, Pinarayi said the issue should be viewed seriously by secular society.
Terming the ongoing Nipah prevention campaign ineffective, the former Chief Minister said the LDF would not use the outbreak as a political tool, unlike what he alleged the UDF had done previously.
"The vigilance to combat the outbreak is, unfortunately, not seen from the side of the current government, but we extend all kinds of support from our end. But the key problem is the lack of coordination between the authorities," he said.
Recalling previous Nipah outbreaks during the LDF government's tenure, Pinarayi said health ministers had camped in affected areas and monitored the situation directly. He added that the war room had now become a place from which politicians maintained their distance.
Criticising the government's decision to transfer Director of Health Services Dr Reena KJ, the Opposition Leader said: "The minister said that she was transferred because of not cooperating with the system. It is understood that the DHS was transferred because of her not standing with the new government's attempts to dismantle the current transparent system of transfers. We know how transfers happened 10 years back, and lakhs of money flowing in connection with it."
He also questioned whether the Chief Minister had been aware of the decision.
Referring to the discrepancy between statements made by the Health Minister and the District Medical Officer regarding cholera cases in Palakkad, Pinarayi said even ordinary people were confused about whom to believe.
Urging immediate government intervention to ensure the availability of medicines for communicable diseases, he said the government had failed to coordinate pre monsoon sanitation activities effectively, contributing to the spread of diseases including dengue and malaria.
The former Chief Minister also criticised Forest Minister Shibu Baby John for his remarks on the state's human animal conflict, describing them as "irresponsible". He further alleged that the UDF had remained silent on raising compensation from ₹16 lakh to ₹21 lakh, as promised earlier.
Responding to the launch of the Priyadarshini free travel scheme for women in KSRTC ordinary buses from Monday, Pinarayi said the LDF was not opposed to welfare measures benefiting women.
"However, the people are looking to see if the tall promises made by the UDF will be fulfilled properly. Moreover, it is a fact that many women may not be able to easily avail this facility because of the lesser number of services," he said.
